Hello readers. I have had the biggest wall in regarding my Naruto fanfic so I decided to allow one of my plot bunnies to come into fruition. Please note that these are unbetaed unless someone wishes to do so. This story is an AU which will consist of similarities and differences with the canon. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo Franchise, however the OCs are of my creation.

Halo: Trial By Fire

Humanity.

Once thought to be primal several centuries ago and yet here they were, reaching for the stars with no bounds as they race through the never-ending darkness called space, the so called final frontier. Vice Admiral Preston Cole, the CO of the UNSC Harvest Fleet, could only look outside the bridge window at the world down below. He watched as the large blocks of steel floated away from the blue and green planet he had called his home.

Home. That was something he missed greatly and it was so close to his grasp yet so far. He always dreamed of the days when he could return home. Return to Earth, the planet that orbited within his gaze. He dreamed of what would have been happening if he was at home, watching the snow flutter down to the ground while the bright stars illuminated the skies above. Friends and family would come from near and far to his English home for the Christmas dinner that his family normally had.

Yet this was not meant to be this December of 2525. A few months ago, a coalition of aliens called the Covenant attacked the agriculture colony of Harvest. He had been requested by ONI, also known as the Office of Naval Intelligence, to return to service with hopes of defeating this threat. That was only two months ago. Now, he watched as a fleet of massive proportions gathered. He was told that there was only a single Covenant ship above Harvest, yet a fleet of over 50 ships gathered. He wasn't able to recognize several of them but quickly noted them off.

He stood within his Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser, the UNSC Everest, watching as ships larger than his floated into position with names painted along their sides with the UNSC logo.

"Admiral Cole, we have a message for you sir," stated an officer. "It's labeled for your eyes only."

With a sigh, the weary man walked into his personal quarters and pulled up the message.

TO: V-ADM PRESTON COLE

ADMIRAL, WE HAVE GIVEN YOU CONTROL OVER SOME OF THE STRONGEST VESSELS THAT THE UNSC HAVE TO OFFER. SOME OF THESE VESSELS HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND HOLD MORE FIREPOWER THAN YOU HAVE EVER WITNESSED. THIS WILL BE THE TEST IF HUMANITY IS TRULY READY FOR THE STARS.

YOUR CURRENT ORDERS:

DESTROY THE COVENANT VESSEL ABOVE HARVEST AND REGAIN CONTROL OVER THE PLANET.

DEFEND HARVEST FROM FUTURE AGGRESSORS

FROM: OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

'Is mankind truly ready to face this kind of opponent, one who is able to destroy a single planet with a single ship?' wondered Cole as he looked over the message again. 'I hope for our sake that these vessels are as powerful as they deem them to be or humanity may be doomed.'

Nothing could have prepared him for what was going to happen but somehow, he knew was going to be called back into war. Just not a kind of war he had expected. With another sigh, he walked his way to the bridge of his vessel where his crew looked at him with expectations and nervousness.

"Open a channel to all vessels," he ordered to the communications officer, who nodded back to him before doing so.

"Channels open sir."

"This is Vice Admiral Preston Cole to all vessels in this fleet," he started. "Several months ago, a new threat of unimaginable parallel has appeared from the horizon and threatens humanity in ways we have never seen before. We will not be fighting to stop tyranny nor oppression or persecution but rather from annihilation. We were are here today as humanity's answer to this threat. We will not simply go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We will fight and we will survive!"

A roar echoed throughout the vessel and amongst the other vessels as they readied themselves.

"All ships, prepare for slipspace jump!"

"All ships ready for jump sir," answered one of the officers.

"Punch it."

The Harvest Fleet, dubbed Battle Group X-Ray, disappeared into the massive wormhole, with hopes high on stopping this threat.

Within the bowels of the ship, several members of the Everest walked around and none more than one specific soldier, or rather pilot. Walking around the hanger with a clear sign of nervousness, she walked around her fighter, a basic GA-TL1 Longsword-class Interceptor. With a sigh, she ran her hand through her long black hair with a small frown evident on her heart shaped face. She watched closely as the engineers prepped her fighter with bullets and missiles, unaware that someone was behind her.

"Hello Captain," said a voice, completely startling her. "May I join you?"

The female Captain turned around to find the aged Vice Admiral looking at her with a calculating gaze. She was immediately relieved at his sight but yet the nerves just seemed to grow.

"O-Of course sir," she stuttered out her reply.

"You may speak freely, Captain," said Cole as he moved forward and placed a hand on the dark colored fighter. "And this is completely off record."

"Y-Yes sir," replied the female Captain. "I'm just nervous. That's all..."

"Is this your first real engagement, Captain?"

"No sir, I have participated in several battles before. My squadron has participated in several during the time of the Insurrection."

"Ah... If I must be right, you must be the famed Swordsman squadron? I heard a lot of your squad during the times when I was in the Gorgon. One of the few squadrons that remained undefeated and took no losses."

"We're not famous sir, we we're just doing our jobs."

"We all were," responded the aged man as he released a chuckle. "So what is your squadron doing here? Are you here to make a mark or are you here because of orders?"

"Sir, we're here because we volunteered to be here. ONI gave us a choice and we all chose to be here. I'm pretty sure that several of the other squadrons here for the same reason. Humanity was threatened and it is our job to protect them."

"Humanity, such a broad word..."

"It's a broad that defines who we are, even though everyone has their differences, we still find a way to unite when humanity is threatened."

"Admiral! We're about to pull out of slipspace!" called a voice from his communicator.

"Well, looks like the day we've been waiting for has arrived," said the admiral as he looked into the brown eyes of the female Captain. "Get your pilots ready, I have a feeling that this will not go the way we expect it to."

"Yes sir!" she replied as she grabbed her helmet before turning to face the admiral, who was walking away. "And sir, since when do things ever go the way that we think it will?"

Cole just looked back with a small smile as he heard her statement and just released a small chuckle as he continued his way to the bridge.

The nerves had become worse as the days of being in slipspace began to take their toll on the sailors, pilots, and soldiers within the Battle Group. There was nothing in basics that could have prepared the normal soldier for what they were about to face and everyone knew it. But as the group drew closer to Harvest, nervousness tied in with anticipation and it wasn't long before the vessels exited slipspace.

"Report."

"All ships are accounted for Admiral. There are no signs of the Covenant vessel though," reported his officer upon the Everest.

"Keep your eyes wide open, they can be anywhere," ordered the experienced veteran.

It wouldn't be long as the Battle Group spotted the purple colored vessel, or rather vessels, that clearly identified them as part of the Covenant. The sleek ships looked nothing like that of the UNSC's as they hovered in the dark reaches of space.

"Admiral, we have visual of the Covenant. There appears to be more than one vessel!" reported one of the bridge officers. "We were told that there was only one vessel here!"

"Son, nothing ever goes the way that we wish but we have to be able to adapt! We are part of UNSC!" he stated as he turned to look at the officers in the bridge before turning his gaze to the sleek purple vessels that orbited Harvest. "Tell me what we're facing soldier. And patch me to all vessels."

"We have that one Covenant vessel, dubbed Battleship class. We have four unknown Covenant vessels that are quite smaller than it, almost Destroyer class," he reported. "And you are on sir."

"All vessels, this is Vice Admiral Cole, it is time. They have struck us when we were unprepared and now it is our turn to show them who they have messed with. All vessels, warm up all guns and prepare Longsword launch! Flank speed!"

Battle Group X-Ray flew towards the handful Covenant vessels at the full speed with no sign of stopping. The purple vessels of their intended targets slowly turned, showing their sides to the oncoming group before releasing a large swarm of small dark purple vessels.

"Sir, they have launched their fighters!"reported an officer.

"Launch all Longsword squadrons!"

As soon as the order was given, the UNSC Battle Group launched their own fighters, the large, bulky and gray Longswords. They flew towards the incoming fighters of the Covenant at full speed.

"Sir, all fighters have been launched!"

"Good! Fires of Freedom, Austerlitz, Constantiople, and Maelstrom! Engage Destroyer 1! Midway, Troy, Excellence, Liberation, and River Hope are to engage Destroyer 2!" barked Preston Cole through the communications. "Black Stone, Genesis, Great Fate, Lance Held High, Lowrentz, and Tharsis are to target Destroyer 3! Virginia Capes, Waterloo, Dawn of Suns, Defender, Straits of Demons, and Wings of Creation! Your target is Destroyer 4! The remaining ships are to engage the Covenant Battleship! Weapons free!"

The large group of UNSC vessels separated into several small groups, flying to their respective targets with weapons hungering for blood. The smaller Covenant vessels quickly opened fire on the oncoming UNSC vessels with their plasma weapons, striking the shields of the vessels. Within the Fires of Freedom, Captain Lyons Summerton quickly held on to a nearby handle as his vessel was rocked with another volley of plasma. He quickly regained his bearings and looked at his target through his vessel's viewing class.

"Damage report!" barked the blonde haired captain.

"Shields are down to 64% sir! We have a few breaches in Decks F to G and there is a small power leak from Archer Pods 20 to 35!" quickly replied the officer who looked scared out of his wits. "Engineers are trying to fix that currently. Austerlitz and Constantinople report that their shields are down to 43% and 57% respectively. Austerlitz also reports that they are venting really badly but are still able to continue."

"Order Austerlitz to hold back and get Maelstrom to stand beside the Freedom! Arm the MACs and all Archer Pods! Get our guns to clear out those incoming fighters that are getting through our Longswords!"

"Maelstrom is moving beside us sir and all vessels are powering MACs with all weapons ready to fire," reported his communication officer. "They're waiting on your call sir."

Outside the vessel, several of the 50mm Point-Defense guns opened up, unleashing a stream of lead towards the oncoming aggressors. Several of them were quickly destroyed after the bullets pierced their shields. However, a small quantity were able to fly through the rain of bullets.

"All hands, brace for impact!" roared the captain as he tightly held onto his chair, preparing for the impending impact on the vessel. However, it never came and confusion filled the air as the bridge officers loosened themselves.

"Freedom, this is Sentinel-1, enemy fighters have been destroyed," stated the pilot as his Longsword flew pass the bridge. "My squadron will remain here with you until Destroyer-1 is taken down."

"Roger that Sentinel-1," replied the Communication's Officer before looking at Captain Summerton. With a nod from the blonde captain, the officer rotated his chair.

"Austerlitz, Maelstrom, and Constantinople, you are clear to open fire! I repeat, weapons free!"

With that order, the four vessels unloaded their MAC guns and Archer missiles on the solo vessel. The projectiles flew bold and true towards the their target. As expected, several neon pink beams of light shot from the hull of the vessel, striking the incoming Archers and destroying a large fraction of them. However, the rest of the projectiles made impact and a large oval resembling the shields flickered as the explosions struck it.

"The shield is holding but from the looks of it, it won't last another volley," observed an officer before looking at his panel. "Reload is commencing, we are 120 seconds from the Pods and the MACs are good for second shot."

Before anybody could say anything, a barrage of purple blasts flew past the bridge. Summerton turned and watched in horror as the barrage nailed Austerlitz, causing the vessel to explode in a ball of fire. Unfortunately, the explosion triggered the armed Archer missiles in the Pods and it struck Constantinople.

"Sir, we lost all hands on Austerlitz and Constantinople has suffered a large amount of damage. The captain is evacuating his men, sending all available troops and vehicles to either Everest or Freedom."

"Freedom, this is Sentinel-1," called the pilot. "The Covenant vessel launched more fighters and we lost a few squadrons. Whatever you're planning on doing, you better do it now or these fighters will be on your arse soon," reported the lead pilot. "Their Point Defense system is too strong for us to get close enough to provide you some cover."

"Roger that Sentinel," responded Lyon as he looked at his target with narrowed eyes. "Provide as much cover as you can. See if you can divert some of the fighters to cover the transfer of units from Constantinople."

"Roger that sir. I'll divert Sentinel-6 to 12 along with Chimera Squadron for it."

The minutes flew by as shots were traded between the UNSC vessels and the Covenant vessel tagged Destroyer-1. A large quantity of the shots were wide and were easily avoided through quick maneuvering. It continued to be this way until the silence was broken by a message.

"Freedom, this is Constantinople, all free and non-necessary crew members have been evacuated from the ship," reported the CO.

"Roger that," responded the Captain before he watched as another volley flew by and struck the grey UNSC ship that was floating beside Freedom.

"Constantinople, can you read me? Constantinople?" asked the frantic captain.

"Captain, this is CAG," said a strained voice through the communication system. "Both the XO and the CO were lost in that volley. I've been told that we lost the MAC along with the firing system for the Archers. They'll basically be flying blind. Summerton, we're a sitting duck here..."

"Give me a minute-"

"NO! I know what needs to be done, just make sure that you give Constantinople gets some covering fire."

"Don't you dare do it, Jared!"

"Too late... The SHIVA is already armed and all power has been diverted to the forward shields and the engines. It's been an honor serving with you..."

With that, the link broke and the blonde Captain could only watch as the broken and flaming vessel lurked towards the Covenant craft with unexpected speed.

"Damn it! Give them cover! I repeat, give them cover!"

At that moment, the two remaining vessels unleashed hell, launching everything from Archers to MAC rounds while the broken Constantinople flew straight. The fighters rocketed from their defensive positions and started to engage the swarming fighters flying towards the charging UNSC ship. The shields flickered occasionally as the blasts from the continuous stream of armaments bombarded the ship.

It all happened in slow motion as the flaming UNSC vessel impacted the Covenant vessel and caused an explosion. The flames spread from bow to stern, igniting the armed Archer missiles and it wasn't long before the Shiva lit. In a flash of white, yellow, and blue, the two colliding ships disintegrated into nothing with the shockwave pushing back the two remaining ships.

"Maelstrom, this is Freedom, we've got some Covenant to sink."

'I won't let your sacrifice go in vain, Jared.'

On another part above Harvest, another five UNSC vessels were striking another Covenant vessel, called Destroyer-2. This group of UNSC vessels were experiencing the some of the same problems as they were forced to stick at a range that strained the main weapons system. One vessel, the UNSC Liberation, led the fight as her CO, Commander Elizabeth Mansfield, looked on with a precise gaze. Her medium length black hair was brushed behind her back and her storm grey eyes peering at her target.

"Get Midway and Troy ready for another strafe with their MACs," she ordered smoothly. "Liberation, Excellence, and River Hope will give them cover fire."

"Ma'am, Herald, Delta, and Hound squadron are reporting," stated an officer. "Reinforcements are coming in from other squads. Seems that one of the Covenant vessels were taken down. Freedom is on their way here as well."

"Good, we need the help."

The relief was quickly washed away as several broadsides roared from the enemy designated as Destroyer-2. It came quickly and nothing could have been done to prevent them as they made impact on the two charging UNSC vessels. They halted as explosions rocketed the surface, engulfing the two in two independent balls of yellow flames. They let loose a shockwave that pushed everything a few meters away.

"Ma'am... We lost all hands on both Troy and Midway."

"Damn it! What will it take to take these bastards down?"

As if answering her question, a hail of artillery rained down on the purple ship, covering it in explosions. Beside the Liberation, a similar looking vessel appeared with the only differences being the name 'Fires of Freedom' being painted on the and white steam venting from the sides in large amounts.

"Hello Lizzie, it seems that you need some help," said a voice over the communication channel, bringing a small smile on her face.

"Summerton, you're late. I expected you not to make it," she said with a small tease while motioning for the officers to continue firing the vessel's weapons. "I guess better late than never."

"Aw... Didn't know you cared."

"So how do we take they down?"

"We need a lot of things hitting it at once, basically lowering the shields for a nuke or a constant barrage of artillery."

"We can give that," she stated as she started the started the reload sequence for the main weapons. "We lost the connection to a handful of our Archers but we're trying to get it fixed. Excellence is in reload sequence and River Hope is unloading their payload right now."

In the bridge of Fires of Freedom, Lyons looked as the explosions from the barrage made contact with the shield of their objective, causing it to flicker on and off. It hit him like a brick as his eyes widened before turning to his Weapons Chief and Communication's Officer.

"Tell Liberation and the other vessels to target near this point of the ship," he said as he pointed at a place near the near. "There is a large quantity of heat and plasma radiating from there. I'm willing to guess that their engine is located there. If not, something important which could make a big boom."

With a sharp nod, the two officers did as they were told with one training the main weapons to the mentioned area while the other conveyed the message. With a green light being passed from Freedom, all four UNSC naval vessels unloaded all Archers and MAC rounds, firing them as fast as they could reload them. The attacks struck with a large flame as they punctured the shields and striking the slipspace drive. A large black hole erupted from the center of the ship before quickly disappearing. The target designated Destroyer-2 was completely split in half with a large amount of it disintegrated.

"Thanks Lyons..." mumbled the female commander. "Owe you one..."

"How about a beer when we get back?" asked the blonde captain. "After all this mess is done of course."

"Maybe... Let's go help the others first."

"Ladies first."

"No please, age before beauty."

With a quick chuckle, the remaining ships fired their engines before heading for the next engagement.

With Destroyer-3, the six UNSC ships were having an easier time in overwhelming the incoming fighters from the vessel with the larger quantity of cannons. However, they were having more trouble in assaulting the Covenant vessel without taking damage. It proved to be rather irritating for the group's leader within UNSC Lowrentz, causing him to call a charge with all weapons blazing.

Within the bridge of Genesis, Captain Troy Daniels looked absolutely livid as he barked out the orders relayed to him by his CO.

"But sir, wouldn't it be better to strike them at a range?"

"Our CO in Lowrentz doesn't think so and has called for a charge," replied the brown haired middle age man with evident anger. "Their broadsides could wipe us out quickly and there isn't much we can do about it. All of the other ships have acknowledged the order, even if it was hesitantly."

"All vessels, this is Lowrentz. All vessels charge!"

With those words, the six ships roared to life as they unleashed hell in their own form. Missiles flew in all directions and MAC rounds flew straight and true, shelling the enemy shields. However, as Daniels predicted, the broadsides of the intended target lit up as it launched a large amount of plasma towards the incoming grey UNSC navy. It basically was a slug fest as blows were traded between the two sides.

"Sir! Lance Held High has reported that they're dead in the water! They have lost power to their engines but they are continuing to fire!" reported Daniel's officer. "Tharsis was lost with all hands from the barrage. Lowrentz was lost as well..."

"Damn it!" shouted the man in anger as fire burned in his eyes.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"Prep the SHIVA and order all vessels to continue shelling them! We're going to whittle their shields down bit by bit!"

"2 minutes until SHIVA is ready for launch," reported the Weapon's Officer. "Shields are currently at 48%."

"We won't be able to hold sir," cried someone from the background. "We should retreat."

"NO!" roared the Captain. "We will hold our ground! Get Black Stone and Great Fate to rotate over and provide us with a distraction. Call for the evacuation of Lance Held High as quickly as they can and see if we can have some Longswords to defend them."

"Genesis, this is Sentinel squadron," crackled the channel. "Need some breathing room?"

"More than anything pilot! Lance Held High is currently being evacuated and I need 2 minutes to take this ship down."

"Roger that sir. We'll give you your space."

"Sir! They're targeting the Lance!"

All who were nearby could only watch in horror as the disabled grey vessel was blasted with a barrage of purple plasma. It only took a matter of seconds before it exploded in a ball of flames. Silence reigned supreme within the bridge.

"ETA until the SHIVA is ready?"

"30 seconds sir. How are we going to launch this?"

"Aim for the middle of the impact points from Fate and Black Stone."

"Roger that sir."

"For our fallen comrades, brothers and sisters in arms..."

"SHIVA is ready for launch."

"Launch everything at that point!"

From the bowels of the grey ship, missiles and all kinds of artillery fired, impacting the desired strike zone and the target's fate was the same as the others. Complete destruction.

Vice-Admiral Cole looked bleakly at the Battleship class vessel his ships were facing against. The shields were slowly being whittled away through the constant barrage of weapons from the ships and he didn't possess the same fire power he had before his Battle Group separated. His thoughts were quickly broken by his Comms. Officer, who he learned was named Naomi Tsuki.

"Sir, we have broadcasts coming from UNSC vessels," she stated, earning her a small smile from the normally serious man.

"Patch them through," he responded and he was quickly greeted by the faces of four humans.

"Admiral, this is Captain Summerton, we have taken out the target designated Destroyer-1. Losses are UNSC Austerlitz and UNSC Constantinople. We went to assist the other groups and during the engagement with Destroyer-4 UNSC Maelstrom was loss with all hands."

"Admiral, Commander Mansfield. Destroyer-2 was taken down with the help of Freedom. However, we lost both Midway and Troy in the process."

"Sir, Captain Daniels, acting CO of my group. We lost Lance Held High, Lowrentz, and Tharsis before taking down Destroyer-3."

"Commander Davis, we lost Virginia Capes and Waterloo during the conflict. Maelstrom along with Freedom came to assist us. However, Maelstrom was lost with all hands before Destroyer-4 was taken down."

"Have your units regroup with Everest," ordered the veteran. "We're going to crack this battleship."

With a unison nod, the four figures disappeared from the screen and allowed Preston to look at the current situation at hand.

"Orders sir?"

"Continue the barrage. We should be able to whittle them down a little more before our ships get here."

The order was relayed and confirmed as several barrages were launched, striking their target. Like waking a sleeping bear, the sides opened up with a barrage of plasma that went by quickly. It lit up two ships as they completely consumed them in a ball of fire.

"Sir, Campo Grande and Sacramento were just lost with all hands and our shields were reduced to 37% with that barrage."

"Looks like the cavalry came just in time," muttered Cole loud enough for his bridge to hear him as they saw the incoming group of UNSC vessels. It was a sight for sore eyes as they started to unleash a storm of projectiles that added with the current one.

"Our weapons are doing little against them sir! We need to retreat!" pleaded a captain from another ship before a realization hit the admiral.

'They must be using a stronger version of energy shields than Destroyers 1-4,' thought Cole with wide eyes.

"Launch everything we have! Fire as soon as it's reloaded! We're going to pop that bubble!" ordered Cole. The remaining vessels launched everything, each of it making contact with the bulky ship. It wasn't just going to stand the abuse as it launched everything it could in the form of plasma broadsides along with Point Defense systems. The beams were able to cut several dozens of the missiles but it wasn't enough as they exploded upon the shield.

As expected, the shields burst from the amount of ammunition striking it. However, they were not prepared for the sudden increase of purple dots to emerge from the Battleship. Cole quickly noted that they weren't heading for the Battle Group, but rather at Harvest. He quickly made a decision that impacted Harvest.

"Longsword squadrons Swordsman, Dragon, Omega, and Raven are to engage the fleeing vessels," barked Cole. "Sentinel, Emerald, Protector, and Daedalus are to defend the UNSC vessels from enemy fighters. The rest are to engage the Battleship."

Affirmatives echoed throughout the channel as the respective sailors, gunners, and pilots followed their orders. Fighters rocketed from their initial position and towards their respective targets while the UNSC naval vessels unleashed another rain of explosives that made impact with the Covenant.

Flying. Something that made her feel free from the world, even though she was trapped within an enclosed space with three others. Captain Lauren Mattinson of Swordsman Longsword squadron controlled her fighter/interceptor in a way so that she was lined up with the large swarm of Covenant targets. Steeling her nerves, she looked at her co-pilot, a black hair male named Joseph Jameson, and nodded. He flipped several switches before nodding back. She, in turn, swallowed the bile that had gathered in her throat before speaking into her radio.

"All wings, this Swordsman-Lead," she called. "Report in. Weapons check."

"Swordsman-12 is set. All weapons armed and ready."

"Swordsman-2, ready up. Weapons warm."

"Swordsman-3 green. Weapons armed."

"Swordsman-6, ready. Weapons are good."

"Swordsman-4 is go. Weapons are green."

"Swordsman-10 is go. Guns itching for a fight."

"Swordsman-5, standing by. Guns are ready."

"Swordsman-7, green. Missiles are ready."

"Swordsman-8 is go. Weapons are armed and ready."

"Swordsman-11 standing by. Weapons are hot."

"Swordsman-9 standing by. Tangos won't know what hit them."

"Cut the chatter Swordsman-9," ordered the female captain before listening in as the other Longsword squadrons reported in.

"Swordsman-Lead, this is Dragon-Lead," crackled the radio. "All wings are ready for the engagement. Waiting on your call."

"Tally ho ladies and gents, inbound in 4 klicks. Get ready for a fight."

It would be a matter of seconds before the flock of UNSC Longswords were within firing range of the Covenant ships.

"Weapons free. Light these bastards up."

The large, grey fighters swooped in at a downward angle towards their targets before unloading a hail of bullets. While they were shielded, the sheer amount of rounds impacting them made them useless and they started to fall quickly. It wouldn't take long before a third were destroyed just from the initial assault.

"All wings break off, take them down before they get to Harvest!" ordered Mattinson as she pulled the yolk hard, turning her fighter quickly to face another Covenant ship before lighting it up with a storm of rounds. "Swordsman-2, you're with me."

If anyone were to look at the massive dogfight from afar, it would seem like a swarm of insects attacking each other with a mirage of colors with some of them exploding in a small ball of flames. Red streaks of tracer rounds and the purplish blue of plasma flew everywhere as fighters engaged in a massive dance where there would only be one survivor of the duo. The radio was flooded with warnings, shouts, curses, and much more as the fight continued to drag on.

"Watch your tail, Raven-3!"

"Dragon-6 just went down!"

"This is Swordsman-10, I've hit!"

"Coming to cover you, Omega-3."

"Wave of fighters inbound to your position Raven-7!"

"Swordsman-7, Omega-5, we are bingo fuel! Need escort!"

"Dragon-12, bank left! Bank left!"

The chatter was loud and an earful but it saved the lives of many as the Longswords were able to take down two for every one they lost. While they were heavily outnumbered, their experience was great and they were able to show it through a sudden diminishing of the targets. It wasn't long before only a small handful remained being pursued by a quantity of fighters.

"Anyone in range?" radioed Captain Newmanson of Dragon squadron. "They're moving faster than I can aim!"

"Negative ma'am, I'm out of bullets and missiles aren't getting a lock on them."

"This is Omega-4, I have a lock-"

The pilot was quickly silenced as a Covenant vessel rammed into him, causing both to explode in flames. Anger coursed through the captain's veins as she looked around for a possible target to vent at in the form of bullets.

"Any left?" she questioned as she grinded her teeth in frustration.

"Negative. The rest were handled quickly by the other squadrons."

"Well, all wings are to ROTB for rearming if they haven't come close to taken that ship down."

Affirmatives came around as the squadrons turned towards their respective vessels with engines at full power.

With the UNSC vessels, they were able to cause massive damage to the vessel but nothing of their normal weapons were able to do the damage needed to completely cripple or destroy it. Cole looked at frustration and knew that there was only one thing left in the armory that could possibly work.

'Archers are just denting it and MAC rounds are barely able to pierce the outer shell,' thought the Vice Admiral. 'The only thing left are the nukes but there would be a chance that the radiation will get into Harvest's atmosphere.'

"Sir, we're throwing everything we have at it," reported the Gunnery Officer. "Nothing is doing significant damage."

"There is one thing left..."

"But sir-"

"What choice do we have? Everest will launch its whole nuclear arsenal and let's pray that it does something..."

"Yes sir. The missiles are being loaded right now."

Cole looked at the current engagement at hand and let out a sigh. If anything he was glad that somehow, their constant barrage was able to stop the firing of the Covenant vessel and thus preventing them from losing any more ships. He was brought out of his musing when two officers came to him.

"Nuclear payload is ready, we need your authorization to launch them sir."

"Vice-Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole, service number 00814-13094-BQ. I authorize the usage of the nuclear payload of the Everest."

With a nod, the Gunnery Officer inserted his key into a slot just as Cole did and with a nod, both turned their respective keys at the same time. It caused a dull button that lied in between both of them to light up.

"Are they locked on the target?"

"Yes sir."

His hands touched the button, almost caressing it, before softly pushing it. Outside in the vacuum of space, several panels slid off to reveal several warheads and in a matter of seconds, they launched from their respective platforms. Flying straight and true, they mixed in with the rest of the missiles and other armaments. The defense system started to activate, unknown of the fate that was about to happen, and started to fire their beams to try and lessen the crowd. It was too late as the nuclear missiles impacted the remaining Covenant vessel, causing a blinding white light to abruptly emerge.

Waves emerged from the impact, pushing everything back. Everyone could only watch and wait as the light slowly dimmed back into the blackness of space. What they saw shocked them all. The Covenant vessel remained but it was split completely in half, with a multitude of parts of all shapes and sizes floating everywhere.

"It's over," muttered Cole as he listened to his crew behind him cheer in joy. He was proud and damn glad that it was over but at what cost. There was a feeling, a small thought that this was just the beginning, that this was only one of the several battles that they would have to face. For now, Harvest's space is clear and now, they would have to fight to clear the planet from the Covenant.

It would be a matter of hours before the remains of Battle Group X-Ray were able to comfortably station themselves in orbit of Harvest after taking a decisive win. Vice Admiral Cole looked at his fellow commanding officers and flight leaders with a grim look.

"13 vessels destroyed along with 58 Longswords. Omega and Raven squadrons experienced the most losses with both of them losing 9 of their 12," stated Cole. "These losses were great but we were able to prevail."

"Sir, what is our current course of actions?" asked Captain Summerton.

"I have received orders from Earth," he said, causing everyone to tense up. "We are to hold here and defend it from any further attacks until reinforcements arrive to help us take the planet back. They're pretty sure that the Covenant will be back with more ships."

"And what do you think sir?" asked Commander Mansfield, with her normal calculating look on her face.

"They'll be back and we better be ready for a fight because this may be the fight of our lives. Humanity needs to be ready and I pray that we are."

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